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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. band — a music group
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pit — a hole
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. band — a ring
  22. pop — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com